


Clumsy: Kaku x Reader

by orphan_account



Category: One Piece
Genre: Destruction, F/M, I promise, Mother dies, Oops, decimation, hehe, how do you tag on here what even, it's not that gory really, of ur island
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-16
Updated: 2015-06-07
Packaged: 2018-03-30 21:18:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3952135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For an author on deviantART (@WritingTheInserts).</p><p>Kaku was your friend as a child. When you moved to a different island, you lost all ties with him. Several years after, your island is decimated and your eyes are blinded. You survive, but to what purpose? {SERIES/COMPLETE}</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WritingTheInserts on deviantART](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=WritingTheInserts+on+deviantART).



> IT'S NOT RLY GORY  
> Italics is when Kaku and Reader are around 6-7 years old.  
> \--------

_"Hey, Kaku! Wait up!"_

_You chased after your friend, short legs pumping. Bare feet thudded against the grassy field._

_"Kakuuu!"_

_The boy running in front of you turned, eyes bright._

_"No way-!"_

_Kaku tripped, foot catching in some hidden rabbit hole. He went flying backwards, an unspoken cry in the air; you squeaked in surprise and sprinted after him._

_"Kaku!"_

_The boy landed on his back. He let out an involuntary 'oof' of pain. You knelt beside him, prodding his cheek with a finger._

_"Aww, not again...You're so clumsy, Kaku! Were you born with two left feet or something?"_

_The orange-haired child sighed._

_"We've had this conversation, haven't we? Lay off my bad coordination. I'm taller than you, so that makes up for it."_

_You cocked your head._

_"No it doesn't! Height has nothing to do with that!"_

_Kaku got up, brushing dust off his jacket and shorts._

_"Whatever you say, (f/n)."_

_You sprung out of your sitting position and followed him eagerly._

_"Hey, ya know, Kaku? You're like a baby giraffe!"_

_The taller boy stopped walking and stared curiously at you._

_"How come?"_

_You grinned happily._

_"You're awkward and got long legs! You're obviously a baby giraffe!"_

_His eyebrows shot up._

_"If that's what I am, then you're like a tiny lion, aren't you? You're brave, fierce, but stubborn and overly confident."_

_You shrugged._

_"Maybe."_

_Inside, you were smiling. You didn't know he thought so well of you._

Eleven years had passed since then. Many things had happened. You didn't even live on the same island anymore, instead moving to a rural spring island. Sometimes, you wondered what had happened to that fluffy-haired, long-nosed friend of yours. Was he doing well?

The thought was shaken from your mind by the sound of explosions.

You leapt up, off of the white kitchen chair and towards the front door of your home. A burning scent hit your nose, moments after the image of scorched homes and charred animals was burnt into your retinas.

You froze.

Your mother was over there, at the market.

Mother-!

Sprinting, you made dust trails fly from the heels of your sneakers. You reached the site of destruction in seconds.

"Mother!"

You looked around wildly, covering your mouth to prevent the rising smoke from entering your lungs. Rubble surrounded you. Your sense of fear and uncertainty grew.

"Mother? If you're alive, can you say something?"

You stumbled forwards, but something beneath your feet tripped you up. You squeaked and fell forwards onto something warm and wet, your eyes shut tight.

Carefully, you looked down.

It was a body, blood oozing out of wounds and soaking your shirt.

"Gah!" You yelped, and propelled yourself off. Too late: red stained most of your front. You fought the urge to throw up, but failed.

Retching noises filled the air, and you felt mildly better.

And then you saw who it was.

"M-mom? Is that you?"

Your voice trembled. But you had promised yourself you wouldn't cry after your father died...hadn't you?

"Mom-!"

Tears fell hard and fast. You collapsed to your knees.

"No! Mother, you can't do this! It's not fair..."

Your hands gripped together tightly.

You didn't want to see...to see the death and destruction and loss...

You couldn't see, you couldn't see-

...

You really couldn't see anymore.

Cautiously, you opened your eyes.

There was nothing but darkness.

You laughed once, a harsh sound in the silence. You had wished for it, and it came.

You were blind, and you would deal with the consequences.

Picking yourself off the ground, you tried to remember where you had been in relevance to your home. You stretched your hand out timidly; you didn't want to touch more gore. A slight step forwards made your foot catch on something, and you stumbled forwards. Your heel met something soft. Moving around a bit revealed it to be a hand, judging by the distance between several soft digits. You hissed in disgust.

"Goddamnit!"

Absolutely nothing was going right, and you hated everything for it.

The struggle could only go on.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please listen to Tokyo by Owl City~

You suffered alone in the darkness, with no light to guide your way. You stumbled across charred ground in tattered shoes that you couldn't fix. You navigated treacherous paths, blind.

Then you received a gift.

It was several hours after the bomb exploded. You were searching for some way to cope with everything that had happened, including scavenging leveled houses by your sense of smell and touch alone. It was difficult, to say the least.

You had heard barking, the only indication of life you had found since the disaster.

The noises grew closer, and you wondered if it would hurt you.

You readied yourself, scuttling your hand along some kind of platform for a weapon; you found nothing but a butter knife, which you picked up and wielded expertly.

There was a howl, and then the sound of claws skittering along tile. The beast was near. You crouched in a battle stance, ready to fly blindly forwards.

A whine, high and pitiful, wailed in the silence. You tensed, fear and adrenaline flowing rapidly through your body; you could be attacked in seconds.

A guttural roar, the screech of sharp nails-

Everything flashed behind your eyes. You could see where the dog would leap. With a scream, you stabbed.

The broken house was quiet. You panted heavily, a weight dragging your arm. A nauseating dripping noise reached your ears. Apparently, you had managed to impale the canine through the heart: instant death.

You sighed in relief, then dropped the knife like it was a hot coal. Your mind whirled with this recent development; you could use Haki?

It was obvious that you had used Observation Haki involuntarily to detect the dog's motion, but it seemed like you had also utilized Armament Haki to increase the butter knife's power. After all, a weak weapon like that couldn't possibly kill the animal, even with your innate strength from years of training.

You stared where your hands could be seen now in faint outlines. Moving showed that you could visualize the action before you actually performed it, and you grinned.

You could survive.

The next few years honed your Haki to perfection, seeing as you needed it every day. You could hunt with your bow and knife. You could identify hundreds of plants by smell alone. You knew your way around the island flawlessly.

You only wished that you didn't have to be alone all the time.

Your sole companion was your shadow, until one fateful day.

You stalked the coast with a wooden fishing rod and bait, Haki on full throttle. You were about to sit down by a shady spot when movement in the distance alerted you. Your blind eyes skirted the relative area.

A ship. Rather large. Not many people on board-about six or seven?

You ducked down. Sure, pirates would dock once in a while, but they were completely different from this crew. Who were they?

Frozen in your position, you listened as the ship weighed anchor and feet strode calmly onto the island. Your breath came short; they were too close. You had to run-

"Hello there! Who are you?" A cheery, innocent voice piped up a meter away. You flinched backwards. When did he get there?

Your Haki detected a small group of seven people. Each radiated varying waves of power, but all had determination burning deep in their hearts. You stood up slowly.

"It's proper to introduce yourself first," your voice rasped. It was almost inhuman from years of disuse, and you felt two presences step slightly back. The original speaker chuckled.

"Shishishi, you're right! My name's Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm gonna be the Pirate King! Who're you?"

You cleared your throat and swallowed.

"I'm (l/n)(f/n). Call me whatever you wish. No one else lives on this island, the result of a bomb explosion. My mother was killed then, along with the entire population, me excepted of course." You paused.

"...how long ago was that?" asked a feminine voice. You turned in the general direction, Haki flaring. It was a dark-haired woman with no obvious weapons.

"About four years," you replied with a blank expression. There was a sharp inhale from the crowd.

"You managed to live for that long alone, with such a disability? Impressive, (l/n)-san."

You stiffened. This woman was smart, more than you had anticipated anyone would be.

"...thank you." There was a short silence, then:

"Robin, what do you mean?" a voice hissed in a low whisper. Several heads turned.

"Usopp-san, I believe it would be rather uncomfortable for her if (l/n)-san's weakness was exposed in front of pirates like us. Figure it out yourself. I know you can," 'Robin' answered quietly. You approved of her suavity, but..

"Robin-san, it's fine. Might as well let you all know; I'm blind. I can't see out of either eye at all. One thing though.. " You glared around at the circle of people without focusing on any single outline.

"I can fight. If you try to jump me, I will be ready. I don't believe much in trust after what I've been through."

Someone coughed nervously. You smirked.

"Don't worry. I'm not the kind to attack without provocation. Just don't try anything funny."

The laugh from before sounded again.

"Shishishi! I like you already! Join my crew!"

You blinked slowly.

"What makes you think I even have the slightest inclination to do so?"

The mood changed. If before it was comparable to light-hearted cheerfulness, now it was serious and determined.

"You're a lot like someone I know. His name's Ace."

You raked a hand through your messily-cropped (h/c) hair. It seemed that Luffy was hell-bent on recruiting you already.

"Don't mind him, (f/n)-san. Our idiot captain tries to collect every interesting person he meets..." It was another woman speaking. You turned to examine her using Haki.

"Who are you?" You asked, setting Luffy's proposition aside. For now.

"I'm Nami, the navigator. Anyways, you don't have to join if you don't want to. Though, I'm sure everyone here will tell you that joining was the best choice he or she ever made..." Her voice softened.

"You obviously aren't obligated to, but I hope you consider it. If Luffy sees it in you, you're probably a great person."

You felt mildly uncomfortable. Like, you had been basically pressured into speaking with a group of strangers, thieves no less. Then your disability had been discovered....you could think of no worse situation to be in. Well, if the pirates were hostile, it'd be rock bottom.

"I'll think about it," you eventually responded, hands on hips. Whipping out your carefully-maintained dagger, you did a 360 and walked off.

"Come on, I'll take you to where I'm living. It's not much at all, but you should be able to fit."

You didn't know why, but something drew you to Luffy.

That something was the revived warmth of friendship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hahaha did you see that coming?~


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I didn't put in the Usopp sword part because I didn't know how to integrate the Reader's part there.

Perhaps joining this crew had been a mistake...

**So this was what betrayal felt like.**

Fire whipped through your heart, lashing out at painful places already raw from the past.

Because Robin had gone over to the enemy for no apparent reason.

No doubt, if it was one of the other Strawhats that had left, the ravenette would have been able to discern the thought process behind the abandoning, but no. It was the strategic archaeologist that had jumped ship, and now the crew was like a broken doll, still moving but scratched and torn.

You were missing something now, something that you might not really have had in the first place. Of course, you could always wonder.

"We're going to go get her," Luffy declared stubbornly. You smiled at the direction his voice came from. It was familiar, and familiar was good.

"Captain..." you muttered slowly, reaching out a hand. "I'll go with you, as long as you can guarantee we'll retrieve her." Broken hearts were bad.

Your Haki sensed the teen nodding exuberantly. "Of course!"

And then Usopp was gone too, forsaking his place within the ranks of the Strawhat Pirates and taking the Merry with him. It was obvious; he knew that the ship was dying, but he clung onto the last shreds of hope. You admired that, but it was pointless in that situation. Taking Robin back, however...

Thus, you ended up in Enies Lobby, fighting the person you thought was your friend.

You and Zoro had been paired together to get the key from the next CP9 you found. The two of you wandered through hallways, and it wasn't long before the two of you were found. Your Haki detected one person; for some reason, the figure was somewhat recognizable. Confused, you stayed behind a corner until Zoro and the mysterious CP9 began their conversation.

"I was disappointed that I didn't get to see your true strength back at the Galley-La mansion," a voice drawled blithely. Anger radiated off of the green-haired swordsman's body. Something was up.

"I never would've thought you pirates would make it out here either."

The speaker...who? You _knew_ that voice. You could swear it.

Zoro scoffed.

"I'm a lot stronger than the last time we met. Be careful."

"That's for sure." It was mocking, and the tension rose. "Your energy is overflowing. Energy like that of a monster."

Someone moved. Not Zoro.

"You're truly a terrifying man."

Swords clacked together.

"However...my swordsmanship is the best in all of CP9. Don't underestimate me."

A snort.

"Nitouryu, huh?"

Then the battle began, and you knew.

It was _Kaku_.

With a slash, the walls were cut in two, smoke rising from the remains. Books crashed to the floor all around them.

"Not quite..."

You breathed in sharply.

"Sorry, but I'm a Yontou."

"Not a problem!" Zoro asserted, and you heard him place Wado Ichimonji between his teeth. "Come to think about it, your whole body's a weapon, isn't it!?"

Swords clashed, and you jumped into the fray.

"Long time no see...Kaku. Oops, bad joke."

Both swordsmen turned to look at you, Zoro no doubt with a wicked grin on his face.

"Remember me?" you asked, pulling out your pair of daggers. The long-nosed CP9 made a sound of disbelief.

"(F/n)? What...wait, you...how?"

A sad smile, fractured slightly by the need to defeat this man, appeared.

"I'm a Strawhat. And I'm blind, if you haven't noticed already. Things happened, Kaku, and you weren't there."

He shifted his weight, and you sped forwards, feeling an adrenaline rush.

"Give up! You might be my childhood friend, but I'm not going easy on you! Robin is more precious than anything right now!!"

It was only a fight, at least until Kaku turned into a giraffe with a nose of steel.

Zoro was sent flying, and you flipped to the front, just in time to detect the CP9 transforming again. You froze.

"What the hell?" you whispered. Sitting in front of you was a box. Zoro evidently thought the same thing, voicing his opinion. Soon, however, both of you were proved wrong as a storm of attacks rained down on both of you. Cuts opened up on every inch of visible skin, and you cursed.

Yet again, the two of you were slapped backwards into the rubble like puppets.

Kaku laughed.

That was it.

"What _happened_ to you, Kaku? What _made_ you this way? Where did the old you go?"

He stopped.

"What's that, (f/n)? I don't quite understand."

You gritted your teeth.

"I mean that you were kind when you were younger! You had a heart! You wouldn't laugh at other peoples' suffering! You wouldn't even let me squash a bug!"

Your Haki showed you that Kaku was shrugging nonchalantly.

"Then maybe that wasn't me."

You winced internally, and the expression must have shown, because the giraffe-man sighed.

"You can still join us, you know. I'm sure they'd let you-!"

Flying forwards, fueled by rage, you slashed at him.

"There's no way I'd ever do that!" you roared furiously. "Go to hell, Kaku!"

Minutes of attacks, injuries and unparalleled anger flashed by, and then Zoro was in trouble.

Kaku jabbed at him with his nose, then sent flashing strikes towards him. It was too fast, and your crewmate struggled against it, but eventually lay on the ground, struck over and over again. The red-hot wrath from earlier rose up again, and the next time the giraffe-man tried to land a blow, you slid in front and crossed your knives as a defense. Shock emanated from your opponent.

"Give up already," he commanded, irritation clear in his voice.

"You can't defeat me! Mere pirates going against the World Government never had a chance! Everything is worthless compared to justice! Even that woman!"

You shook your head, flames licking the walls of your stomach.

"We promised that we'd get Robin back, didn't we, Zoro?"

Without waiting for a reply, you continued, allowing the swordsman to get back to his feet, you still locked in a battle of strength.

"We're not leaving without her, even if it costs us our lives! I haven't been in this crew for long, but I know! They all care about each other more than they care about their own state of being!"

Growling, you pushed harder against the force.

"You give up! Because we never will!"

Flinging all you had at Kaku, you sent him staggering backwards. Zoro took your place with silent approval. You could feel the same emotions coming off of him.

"My turn, (f/n). Step back." He planted himself firmly in place.

"Bastard..."

The power Zoro emitted scared you.

"You got cocky...and said too much, bastard."

Kaku seemed slightly shaken.

"Did I offend you? Well then, using the most powerful rankyaku 'amanedachi' that I sliced the tower with..." He began whirling around on one leg. "I'll slice you in two and finish this! You should give up. There's nowhere to run! This is different from that demonstration before!"

Zoro stood, unfazed.

"Idiot...you're the one that should give up."

"Demonic spirit...Kyuutouryuu! Asura!!"

What your Haki picked up amazed you and chilled you to the bone. Kaku was right. Zoro truly was a monster, but he was on your side.

"That's a good try, but you're too late!" the giraffe-man called from within his whirlwind.

"You're also the one...that's too late."

"You should wait to say those things until after you've avoided the rankyaku! Amanedachi!!"

He kicked.

Zoro blocked.

He sprang-

"You did well. Suffering is good...on the path to carnage."

He struck.

"Asura Ichibugin!!"

Kaku fell.

Mission complete.

Zoro ripped off his bandanna and you walked over to the CP9's prone body.

"I...have a message from that other Galley-La leader."

He paused.

"You're fired."

Kaku breathed in shallowly.

"Paulie? Now that's too bad..." A raspy breath. "They always said assassins couldn't have any other job..."

"How about a zoo?" Zoro interjected. Kaku chuckled, and your heart constricted. The Kaku you knew was still there, buried however deep inside.

"That's great!"

You felt Kaku pull the key from his front pocket and hold it up, but drop it as his arm fell limply to the ground.

There was a pause.

"Sorry."

_Zoro._

Picking it up, you bent over your childhood friend.

"Sucks that we had to meet this way, doesn't it, Kaku? I was right, you know, about you being a giraffe..."

Your eyes were wet, and you wiped them with the back of your hand.

"Honestly, I..."

Biting your lip, you removed the CP9's hat and placed it on his chest.

"I missed you. And now I have to leave again."

A tear dropped to the body underneath.

"I'm glad I stumbled into you, really..."

"See ya around, Kaku. Maybe not as enemies next time."

That would never happen, but you could always hope, couldn't you?


End file.
